Intermittent fasting. Does it work?

I network with a LOT of fitness and wellness professionals in my social media circles. This provides a terrific source of external motivation when I need it.

It also keeps me privy to lots of discussions about fitness trends as well as varying viewpoints. And let me tell you, we fitness people can be pretty opinionated when it comes to what we think works and what doesn’t.

I know you all have heard me get on my soapbox on at least several occasions.

In the fitness and nutrition world there are certain schools of thought that I follow. I mean, really, there are so many systems and methods that DO work, it’s more about finding the method that works best for you. The important thing is to PICK one and stay with it long enough to let it do it’s magic. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the patience.

When it comes to nutrition, I have always taught my clients to eat consistently throughout the day. Small meals spaced every three to four hours, balanced with high amounts of protein, lots of vegetables, enough healthy fats, and usually 2-3 servings of healthy starches a day.

This type of plan works best for the average individual who is simply learning how to eat healthier and wants to watch portions without having to constantly count calories.

I have always been a big promoter of breakfast as well. I encourage all of my clients to eat breakfast. Why? Well, mostly because studies and experience has shown that most people tend to consume more calories over all when they skip breakfast. People who do eat breakfast, and a really good one, tend to consume fewer total calories throughout the day.

There has also been the long standing thought that breakfast is needed to kick start your metabolism and get things running again after a full night of not eating. However, the question now stands, is that true?

I always thought it was. But in the last year or so I am hearing more and more of my fitness professional friends talk about intermittent fasting and how much they like it. They claim that it really works. I have been a skeptic. My honest response has been, why not just eat everything in moderation all the time, keep your eating in check, and then you won’t need to fast? In addition, I also thought is seemed a bit borderline obsessive /compulsive.

Binge and fast?

For instance, when you utilize the weekly fast, the day before your 24 hour fast, you double your calorie load. While you can just stick with the usual healthy fare, most fitness people I read about use this as a day to go all out and have things like pizza, beer, a pint of ice cream, you name it. Then they fast for 24 hours and simply return back to their clean eating schedule the following day. Sort of sounds like binge eating just minus the purge, right?

At least that is the way it sounds.

A very valuable lesson

One important thing I have learned over the years. Don’t knock it unless you have tried it. Or to put it in more detailed terms, you must research methods and systems before you can have an opinion on them. Just saying something doesn’t work without fully understanding the science behind it is just plain unacceptable.

Common sense does work most of the time, but science can surprise us. At the same time, you can find a study that supports just about any argument nowadays so you have to really know where the source is coming from and what the motivation was for the research in the first place.

This leads me to Dr John Berardi. He is the genius behind Precision Nutrition and he also describes himself as a professional dieter. This man has got will power like none I have ever encountered. I would not want his job but he clearly enjoys actually testing out diets and then documenting the efficacy (or not) as well as any other relevant side effects. He documents emotional as well as physical and mental challenges presented during his trials and he even goes so far as to test other variables like blood work. He is thorough.

Another thing I should mention about Dr Berardi and Precision Nutrition, is that in his companies weight loss coaching programs the same exact principles are recommended as I recommend to my clients. And they have successfully helped thousands of people lose some serious amounts of weight. This is one of the reasons why, even though I am certified as a weight loss specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, I have also signed on for Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 certification. They speak my language.

I also like that Precision Nutrition puts a strong focus on long term, gradual, sustainable changes in ones diet. Again, I concur. They do not promise any get thin fast hocus pocus nor do they recommend any diet foods. While their clients may lose weight at a slower pace, their clients also have a high track record of keeping it off for good. If you read my blog regularly, you know this is the method I recommend as well and you also know my irritation with get thin fast schemes.

So, of course I was then thrilled to see that Dr Berardis’ free e-book on Intermittent Fasting was the first thing to pop up on my Google search when I looked up the topic. I trust his advice and his opinion which he bases on pretty thorough research.